There

Are

a

Ton

of

Shows

to

See

Around

the

Venice

Biennale—Here’s

Our

Take

on

What’s

Worth

Seeing

(and

What’s

Not)

There is an overwhelming amount of shows across Venice to see this week—some 30 official collateral events are on view, dozens of galleries have brought their own exhibitions, and there are a bunch of private museum foundation shows to see.

The Artnet team placed bets about what they thought would be exciting to see in the lagoon, but sometimes those expectations did not match up with reality. Their reviews includes William Kentridge's 'Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot' at the Arsenale Institute for Politics of Representation.

The South African artist debuts a new series of 30 minute films made during lockdown that explores how rumination and conversation evolves into creative acts within the apparent confines of the studio. In some videos Kentridge often appears deep in conversation with himself, taking on some of life’s eternal themes like utopia, optimism, and history. Shown across two screens, the videos are housed on the ground floor within a custom immersive installation that brings the studio environment to Venice. On the top floor, in an apartment that once belonged to the German painter Oskar Schlemmer, the films are presented as one might watch them in the domestic sphere: on a laptop in the kitchen or on a TV in the bedroom.